Customs ...gave myself a birthday/retirement present!!!!!!!!.....

nice work
not samo samo cool

 

Nice job!!!

 

SWEET Thats the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.Nice job

 

Man thats great, I wonder if you could get a radiator chromed, if so, this would be a perfect candidate.

 

Beautiful!!!!!!!!

 

...Hey thanks for all the kind words. Here's a few pointers if anybody is thinking of doing the same thing:
1) the script covers are usually the early stamped steel type;
2) big oil breather holes make more work;
3) I don't know if any of the cast aluminum or stamped aluminum covers could be modified...I can't do that kind of welding and they're not my favourites;
4) you have to cut off the lower gasket 'edge' so the tank can rest flat on the core for soldering (actually I cut off 1" off the lower side);
5) because the top tank is steel, it will eventually corrode from the inside out due to the coolant (no matter what paint you put on the inside); the rad guy said it was an absolute must to have it 'tinned' on the whole inside surface; it may also fill some pinholes in the welded areas -remember this is going to be a pressurized container now;
6) rad guy also said to keep as much air out of the top of the tank and recommended an expansion tank (a cool pressurized puke can, I guess);
7) the inlet and outlet tubes are 1 1/2" in and out which should speed things along;
8) traditional rad shops are mad for painting everything shiny black; I was really disappointed when I first saw my bare metal upper tank painted black; I took a wire wheel to it and exposed the beauty of the metal, solder, the pipes, the script, and the gold end tabs; (I like metal that shows it's 'history')
9) I painted the upper tank with a flat clear which is just the way I like it...raw, exposed and protected......
bgbdlinc

 

Great creativity, what's planned for your nextbirthday?

 

That is super cool....Hmmm now how do I make a Hemi valve cover work....

 

...a 7" or 8" thick core would do it (although it might look like a pulling tractor where they have those big weights out front)....

 

Very cool

 

Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your retirement! Every day is a saturday now.......

 

I think this may beone of my favorite "innovative" things ever on the hamb. Love it.

 

Happy B-day / retirement and the radiator top is freakinf ***s dude...

 

Something different...I love it!!!

 

great idea!!

 

Great Idea

 

that is sweet, could the radiator guy have just covered the orig top of the rad with the valve cover with an opening for the inlet and hose connections?
so the cover wouldn't be exposed to coolant then solder it like you did

 

Now then, that is one brilliant idea! I like it, nice one man.

Nick.

 

...good question (the rad guy actually suggested using the valve cover simply as a cover for a "real" top tank). I wanted my valve cover to be the top tank and could see no reason not to do it. Faking it would propel this idea into the realm of dummy spots and none functioning lakes pipes, for me. Sorry to offend, but I like real.....

...when is the next tech week? hahahahahahahh

 

very cool!!

 

GREAT Job. Happy Birthday and have a lng and happy retirement.
chuck

 

that was a great Idea . very nice custom touch.

 

very creative. thats a cool idea.

 

aahhhhh i feel your vision i look forward to your next creation

 

thats rad!

 

awesome job, that looks really good.

 

awesome !

 

Way Cool!!!
I like repurposing things and that is definitely one of most clever things I've seen! The patina is perfect as well. 100% no billet!
Thanks for sharing!
Alden

 

You are way to smart.........brilliant Idea, I tip my hat to you, as so many of us have.

 

OH MAN! That is about 95 different types of cool, would have been 96 if I had thought of it though.........
Seen and done some different top tanks but that one has to be the best I have seen so far.
Doc.